Two Connecticut Residents Mourned After Off-Campus Fire

Location Of Wednesday's Memorial Service Changed

Marist College is mourning the loss of two students and a former student — two of them from Connecticut — after a weekend fire in an off-campus house.

Eva Block, a senior fashion design student from Woodbridge, and Kevin P. Johnson, a former Marist student from New Canaan, both died of smoke inhalation.

Kerry R. Fitzsimons, a Marist senior from Commack, N.Y., also died of smoke inhalation, police said late Monday afternoon.

College President Dennis J. Murray said the deaths represent an "unprecedented" loss.

"A tragedy this profound, affecting our entire community, is unprecedented in the history of Marist College," Murray wrote in a letter posted on the Marist website and e-mailed to alumni.

The fire started in the back of the house early Saturday after a celebratory dinner attended by eight friends, according to Johnson's obituary.

The college is planning an interfaith memorial service to honor the victims for 11:15 a.m. Wednesday at the McCann Center. The location was changed from the Marist College chapel because of the large number of people expected to attend.

Grief counseling is being made available to anyone who needs it.

Johnson attended a summer business program at Marist for high school students in the summer of 2007. He attended college in the fall of 2008, said college spokesman Greg Cannon.

He most recently had attended Dutchess Community College, Cannon said, "but obviously was still part of the family here."

He was the son of Sharon and Steve Johnson; his father is a member of the Class of 1969.

In his obituary, he is remembered as having "a dazzling smile and a generous heart."

He died two weeks before his 22nd birthday.

His wake will be from 3-8 p.m. Thursday at the Hoyt Funeral Home, 199 Main St., New Canaan, according to the funeral home's website. His funeral Mass is planned for 11 a.m. Friday at St. Aloysius Church, 21 Cherry St., New Canaan.

Donations may be made in Johnson's name to the Marist Fund or SmileTrain.org, the obit states.

Eva Block's services were held Monday at the Abraham L. Green and Son Funeral Home in Fairfield, with interment to follow at Or Shalom Cemetery in Orange. Shiva will be observed this week, excluding Shabbat, at the home of Barbara Block, her mother, in Woodbridge.

She is survived by her parents, Barbara Stark Block and Jeffrey Block; her siblings, Hannah Rae Block and Harrison Lewis Block, and several other relatives, according to the funeral home website.

Memorial contributions may be made to the National Eating Disorders Association, or to the Congregation Or Shalom, 205 Old Grassy Hill Road, Orange, CT 06477

Block, who, like Johnson, was 21, is remembered as a dancer who loved the fine arts. She had a reputation as a "bright and creative designer," according to a press release on the Marist website.

Her interest in photography helped her design clothes. She often printed her own fabrics.

"Eva had eclectic interests, all of which she brought to her work, which made her a young designer with tremendous potential," the release states.

Fitzsimons also was 21. Her identity and that of Johnson, plus the causes of their deaths, were officially confirmed by police late Monday afternoon.

Fitzsimons was a senior biomedical science major with a minor in chemistry. She worked as a laboratory assistant and had plans to conduct scientific research on campus this semester, according to the website.

She accepted a research internship at Vassar Brothers Medical Center. She also was an intern with the Department of Environmental Conservation since 2009, a position that included local eel research with Poughkeepsie High School students.

She is remembered by classmates and teachers as an enthusiastic and generous person who always had a smile on her face.

The fierce fire raced through the house at 112 Fairview Avenue, a popular neighborhood for Marist students, early Saturday. Some people in the house jumped from second-floor windows to avoid the flames.

Fire officials continue to investigate the cause of the fire.

Firefighters in Poughkeepsie have battled "horrendous" fires before, the town fire chief said, but this was different.

"Since I've been the chief, this has been the worst fatal fire incident, in my experience," said Fire Chief Tom Morrow.